Pune, March 29 (PTI) Customs authorities at Pune International Airport have seized hydroponic marijuana valued at Rs 26.8 crore from boxes labelled “Mandarin orange sacs” (orange pulp), officials said on Sunday.

The seizure was made on March 26 after a consignment arrived from Bangkok in Thailand. One person has been arrested in the case, they said.

According to a Customs release, an import consignment of food items of Chinese origin was received at the air cargo section. The goods had been declared as ‘Mandarin orange sacs’ and were packed in white thermocol boxes, it said.

The scanned images of the goods initially did not suggest they were organic in nature, prompting the Customs officials to open one box, the release said. They found sealed tin cans inside it.

“Inside those tin cans, officials found salt-like white, grainy powder. When the powder was taken out, they discovered a vacuum-sealed transparent plastic pack containing hydroponic marijuana,” the release said.

The entire consignment was then opened, which resulted in the recovery of 76.58 kg of hydroponic marijuana valued at nearly Rs 26.8 crore, it said.

Hydroponic weed, a potent and expensive form of ganja, is cultivated using water-based, nutrient-rich solutions instead of traditional soil methods. PTI COR NR